Ingredients:
dreams (stubborn
things with soft teeth)
self-loathing (the hair you’ve lost since
you last kissed will do in a pinch)
peach pits (to remember
where you came from)

Step one:
write her name in the air
with your finger little
hearts above little eyes

Step two:
set something meaningful
on fire, stir regularly

Step three:
dance with your comforter
like it’s trying to drown you

Step four:
keep dancing until you boil,
you’ll notice bubbles and salt
spilling from your wounds (if you don’t
notice this, increase the temperature)

Step five:
do not look through
the shoebox in your closet,
forget-me-nots live there,
and they’re hungry

Step six:
close your eyes, you can’t
smell smoke, there’s no one
else here, you’re alive